Fabric Keychains

Ever dig into the depths of your purse trying to find your car keys, while simultaneously juggling groceries and a wiggly toddler? Well I have. One too many times. Today I would love to share with you how to make these fabric keychains that can be worn around your wrist for easy access. Let’s get started.

First, cut your fabric so that you have a strip of each material that measures 2.75 (2 and 3/4) inches by 13 inches. Cut 1 strip of your fusible interfacing to measure .75 inches by 12 inches.

Iron both strips of coordinating fabrics a 1/4 of an inch down both sides with the right-side of the fabric face down on your ironing board.

I use a piece of card stock paper to fold the material over to give me a nice even hem line.

When both fabrics have been ironed, fold the material in half length-wise and iron. Be careful to match the edges up nicely.

Take your strip of fusible interfacing and place it evenly between your two coordinating fabrics. I make sure the folds of each ironed fabric are on opposite sides.

Iron these together. This will temporarily fuse the top and bottom materials together so they are easier to sew, and will make your key chain a little sturdier.

Now sew along both edges of the key chain. I sewed mine fairly close to the edge which was about an 1/8 inch seam.

Now, take your purse clip and slide it onto the key chain. Be sure that the clip is on top of the material you want to be on the outside of your key chain. Place the two raw edges so that one is overlapping the other one about 1/4 of an inch (or to the fusible interfacing).

Sew these together using a zig-zag stitch several times back and forth so that it does not come apart.

Take your strip of 4 inch ribbon and burn the edges with a lighter or a match to seal it so they do not unravel. Do this very carefully! Move the purse clip around the key chain until the seam is about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch above the clip. Take the ribbon and wrap it around the area where the two ends have been sewn together. Tuck both ends of the ribbon to the inside of the key chain.

Pin in place and sew the top and bottom of the ribbon. I changed my thread color so it matched the ribbon and was less noticeable. Remember to reinforce your seam. I went over it twice so it will hold up.

And there you have it…a cute and functional key chain.

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About Amy

Amy Huntley is the owner/author of The Idea Room. A mother of five, who enjoys sharing her love of all things creative in hopes of inspiring other women and families. Never miss a creative idea that she shares by connecting with her here, or read more of her posts.

i am so excited that you posted this. I carry this type of keychain everyday that I bought commercially made, and it really is handy! I am so glad to have your step by step tips with photos (awesome!) to make more!!

Such a fun idea…I just started sewing and am anxious to give this a try! Maybe I can handle it :) Thank you for the easy follow steps!We have linked you up on our new blog as well because we love your creative and fun ideas! Happy crafting!

Please help. I bought the same name brand or thats what handcocks said it was fusiable interfacing. Mine will only stick to one of the pieces of material.it wont keep material together any suggestions.

I made 6 of these last night, and plan on doing some tonight after the kids are in bed. I just love them! Thanks for the great gift idea and awesome tutorials! I just discovered your blog recently, and it became an instant favorite!

I made myself and my MIL one and personalized them! It took a little extra time (to center the embroidery), but I put "Lisa's Keys" on the outside fabric and my cell phone number on the inside ~ just in case I happen to lose my keys they can contact me, but with my cell, they won't know where I live.

Hello! I just “attempted” to make this today! I just had to use what was around my house, but when I visit the craft store again, I will get ALL of the supplies! For now, it was a great start to getting back into sewing! Here’s the link for my blog post sharing what I did :) Thanks for the inspiration!

Hi Amy,
I love your key chains and your tutorial was simple to follow. There is a group of folks that are trying to start up a park in Wisconsin for special needs children and I had made a few of your key chains and was hoping to donate them to sell and all proceeds would go for this project? Is that something I can do or would they have to ask for a donation and not sell them. Thanks for your reply,
Kathy

Thank you so much for taking the time to post this tutorial! I just can’t wait to make one of my own! I did a search on the internet and your key chain holder was by far the cutest one on here! Great job!

This looks like one of those fun instant gratification sewing projects! I’m eager to make this for myself & for gifts. Thanks for the concise, chatter-free, photo-heavy tutorial. I pinned this to Pinterest crediting you by name & linking to this entry.

I just made one of these and instead of fusing them together, I sewed the edges just like you did and threaded a wide piece of elastic through it. I sewed it down at the beginning and after threading and stretching, sewed down the other end in place. The rest is all the same. Thanks for the tutorial and I’m gonna get a head start on this years Christmas gifts.

Made these as a Christmas gift for friends and some family members, they turned out great! This was the very first time that I sewed anything, so don’t let a lack of sewing expertise scare you! I did make a few modifications though— I decided to widen the fabric by 1/4 inch, this made it easier to iron the crisp edge in the next step. I also cut the ribbon a tiny bit smaller (about 3 1/2 inches), this seemed to help it not bunch up as much while sewing. Thanks so much for the post! I’m hoping everyone loves these cute key chains as much as I do! I was making a bunch of these and decided to cut out templates to make the prep process quicker, it helped a ton!

Thanks for the instructions. I just scored a purse at a thrift shop for $2, and it had 4 of the purse strap clips, 2 sturdy rings and a magnestic snap closure I can reuse. I’ve already got everything else as I’m an avid sewer, quilter, and re-user. Happy crafting!

Oh, I hope someone will see my comment if it’s the blog owner or other commenters… I’m having a heckuva time finding the purse strap clips! Hobby Lobby doesn’t carry… Joann’s doesn’t carry… doesn’t anyone MAKE their own purses anymore? I hate to have to buy them online because I need to “see” what I’m buying first and photos don’t do justice. BUT if anyone has found these online, I’d love to know where? I need to try Pat Catan’s and Michael’s locally to see if they carry, but in the meantime I’m frustrated. Want to make a bunch of these for Christmas gifts!

I noticed a question about the interfacing above, and I too am struggling with it! My interfacing is only fusing to one piece of the fabric, and after reading some tutorials online it seems like that is normal…how did everyone get it to fuse to both sides?! So confused! Please help!

My only cost was the purse clips since I had everything on hand. If you bought the materials to make it for a few friends, it woulc end up being 2-3 dollars for each one depending on how much and where you purchase them.

Trackbacks

I made a gift today. No current out of pocket cost since I had all items on hand. I made a fabric key chain! I plan to give this to my neighbor and good friend for Christmas. She also sews so I expect she will appreciate the gesture. The tutorial I use…

[…] work, I feel as though I have lost my keys because I can’t find them in my purse. I found this pattern also on Pinterest and it makes it so much easier to find my keys in my purse it isn’t even […]

[…] been getting round to projects that have been on my list for a really long time. I made this fabric key chain by Idea Room, today during nap time and while Owen was at school. I also had time for another project but not […]

I ate soup two times today. That one is now gone. I have two other kinds in the freezer, which we will likely eat later this week. It feels like we are doing pretty good with the food overall. I did my sewing today. I made two keychains and four little…

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Amy is the author of The Idea Room.
A mother of five, who enjoys sharing her love of all things creative in hopes of inspiring other women and families. Read More…

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned in some of my posts
for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog.
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